Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-18
THE SMALLPOX SCARE.

There is strange and unseemly conduct
or the part Of the people of Los Angeles
in The matter of the appearance of small
box in that county The State Board of
Health went to that city in the line of
duty. The members had no other interest
in the journey than to establish barriers
against the spread of the disease. Our
knowledge of their purpose before they
started was explicit on this point, and Of
their sincerity and public spirit we are
convinced. But we find the members of
the Board are made the objects of assault
in that city, and that their motives have
been impugned One of the returned
members says to the San Francisco Call,
that there was, with one or two exceptions,
persistent and unaccouDtable opposition
shown by the local authorities to the State
Board, coupled with denial and conceal
ment of the truth, and that the people APP
pear to sustain their officials in this I'M
wise policy 1t is passing strange that
local pride should assume such an attitude
as this.
The smallpox pest has appeared in the
southern part of the State, and there are
over score of points of contagion. All
coneealment Of that fact tends to aid dis
semination of the dread disease. That it
- IL IL. - ,,-;,t- =. 80 oLo,s.,ob IL =
10 the State Board of Health, though the
Los Angeles Herald some time ago charged
shat the importation was due to the failure
Of the State Board to establish Mexican
border quarantine stations. The factis, as
he Herald should have known, that the
Beard had no power to do so, had not a
dollar to expend in that direction until
The Legislature voted it, and that the very
day subsequent to the approval of the bill by
the Governor, the Board went to the lower
country to establish the needed quarantine
stations, to put inspectors at work, and to
ascertain the exact facts concerning the
prevalence of the disease There is never
anything gained by concealment of the
truth in these matters of threatened pesti-
lence. The right thing to do is, not to
nervously alarm people, but to tell them
the exact truth, advise them what to do,
and thus receive their aid in stamping out
she disease.
There has been no misrepresentation in
this section of the condition of the public
health at Los Angeles There could not
well be, since the facts were studiously
concealed. Nor have the people of the
north any wish that those of the south
should take harm. They do demand, how
ever, in their own interest, that the truth
be made known, to the end that the people
may, by the warning, be led to precau-
iionary activity, and that diligence may
be conserved in stamping out the pest.
Yet, here we have the statement of
member of the State Board of Health that
the visit of that body TO the south, with
the sole end in view of erecting quarantine
barriers between Mexico and California,
and of ascertaining the facts as to the ex-
tent of the disease within the State, was
met with opposition and GOODNESS, and
looked upon as an unwarranted intrusion.
We very much fear that our Los Angeles
friends have lost their heads in the enthu-
siasm of their boom. If they are as wise
as they should be, they will make no con-
cealments, encourage instead of discour-
ing vaccination, and so arouse the peo-
pie to the wisdom of precaution and pre-
vention, as to stamp out the disease and
inspire the community with confidence in
their ability to do SO.